Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) waded into the Kentucky Senate race on Wednesday by issuing a statement praising Democratic nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes for her “commitment to coal.”
The move by the consciously bipartisan Manchin is a veiled jab at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has made coal a major issue in the race and has sought to tie Grimes to President Barack Obama’s agenda of gradually replacing coal with cleaner energy sources.
Manchin’s full statement, as sent out by the Grimes campaign:
I know Alison’s commitment to coal and more importantly her commitment to coal miners. I know Alison will stand with me to pass legislation that protects the pensions that coal miners have earned and deserved.
Alison has the courage to stand up to those in her party who try to deny that coal will be a vital part of our energy for decades to come, and I know that Alison will fight against the War on Coal right beside me in Washington.
I know Alison will work with me to make sure we develop the cleanest coal technology in the world so that we strike a balance between our energy and our environment.